CT School Shooting: Lets talk Real Gun Control & Responsability

Mortgages and Squatters after an Economic Collapse?

 

Hello Mr. Aguirre, I just finished reading your book and wanted to thank you for taking the time to write it. It has really made me feel at ease knowing that I have already put in place most of your ideas and preps to weather bad times. So again, thank you. Also, I have a question about how mortgages were handled in your country during the collapse. I cant find much info on it but in general were people left in there homes if they stopped paying or were they evicted soon after payments stopped. In particular how do you think it would play out in the USA? Any advice or information on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks again,

Greg

Hi Greg, you’d think that after an economic collapse you’d be cut some slack, right? Unfortunately no, that’s not the case.

At least regarding to what happened in Argentina, it came down to the kind of mortgage that you had. If you had taken it in dollars you were really out of luck because going from a one dollar to one peso exchange rate to a one dollar three pesos exchange rate while you earned money in pesos was the death of you. In some cases, you were a bit better off. If your mortgage was in pesos you only paid back pesos, so even though the value of property did go down some, in some cases it was a good deal to pay back in rapidly devaluating pesos while the property was keeping its value. Thinking of a similar situation in USA, you could say that if you get a good real estate deal, it might be worth paying back in slowly or rapidly devaluating Usd (if the price was right to begin with, post-hosing bubble crash, that is). Again, there were exceptions and it depends on the price agreed and the specific property and area. 

Now, if you didn’t pay your mortgage you would certainly lose your home to the bank.

What it comes down to, not only because of what we learned from Argentina but from other cases, is that banks don’t forgive debts, even though you are forced to pay for theirs. I know, doesn’t seem fair, but life isn’t going to get more fair after SHTF simply because we wish so, as I often say, it generally get even more unfair.

Consider this, while you may lose your home to the bank, if someone squatters in your property, or your tenant refuses to pay, it will be pretty hard for you to get them out. Especially if there’s children involved, it may take years until your get rid of squatters.

As society keeps deteriorating, there’s the issue of corruption to keep in mind as well, so listen up folks, Ferfal story time;

 We think of squatters as generally shabby looking individuals. I know of an incident involving a very different kind of squatter just a few blocks away from where I used to live in Buenos Aires.

This old gentleman from my neighborhood had a second house nearby for sale. The house must have cost USD 300.000 in those days. One day a man drops by this man’s home, wearing a fancy suit, driving an expensive sports car. He presents himself and says he wants to buy the man’s house, he’s not making any counter offers. While talking with the older man, Mr. “fancy suit” opens up his briefcase and pulls out…  a gun. No, he pulls out money! 50.000 usd cash, right then and there! He just wants to make sure the house is his, his wife happened to know the property well and just wants to seal the deal. He gives the advance to the man and agrees on meeting next week. Before leaving he asks if his wife can take a look inside, she wants to get a decorator in there working as soon as possible, so the old man hands over the keys. A couple days later, a strange family is already living in the old man’s house, and “fancy suit” disappears. When the man goes to the police about these “squatters”, showing that he still owns the title to his property, he finds that the cops show little will to help.

As the legal battle starts, he learns that Mr. Fancy Suit was in fact the lawyer of the people that moved into his house, a local corrupt “businessman” that handles shady businesses, with strong political support in the area and the cops in his pockets. Legally, they argue that the 50.000 USd was the payment for the house. Its been over a decade now. The old man didn’t get his house back last time I checked.

So that’s it boys and girls, in places like Argentina, as we say “el que no corre, vuela”. If he doesn’t run he flies, meaning pretty much everyone is out there to get you or scam you in some way. Be careful, you never know.

FerFAL

Relocating to Canada: The Western Provinces

Another excellent guest article written by blog reader and contributor J. Vanne. I really appreciate the level of detail J. has gone into. Believe me, this is the kind of research that would otherwise takes months to recollect. Check the other “Relocating to Canada” articles by J. covering the other regions.
Thanks J.!
If you live in a potential relocation country or have relocated recently yourself and want to share your experiences, feel free to email me about it.
FerFAL

The Western Provinces:   Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba

As noted in the previous article, the goal of examining different Canadian regions for you is two-fold:  a.) to look at regions that might be good locales in a slow, grinding, on-going economic downturn, and b.) examine areas the might be suitable in a more serious societal and/or economic breakdown (the so-called “zombie apocalypse”). The goal is to provide a range of options for those who think we will see “merely” continued socialist economic malaise, all the way through to examining locations that might fare better in a much more serious apocalypse.




The Canadian Rockies, which are on the western edge of Alberta, aren’t exactly “prairie,” but I am putting these three “prairie” provinces together for the sake of brevity.  There is a very clear bifurcation in Canadian minds between western and eastern Canada. Westerners – of which I consider myself one – still have a residual distaste for easterners in that back in the 1980s (and earlier) Ontario – which basically ran Canada until recently (and largely still does), essentially expropriated the wealth (in the form of natural resources) of western Canada for itself, and its cronies in Quebec.  The name Pierre Trudeau still evokes distaste for me, as it does many Albertans, who recall – as just one egregious example – the National Energy Plan that stole oil wealth from Alberta and funneled it to the east. These are historical grievances, it is true, and some of these misgivings are less pronounced today. However, if you do decide to make the move, knowing the cultural landscape will help you navigate the cultural currents and eddies you will be swimming in.

The great divide between west and east is simply this: after one leaves Winnipeg (the orange coloured province at the far right of the map above, located north of Fargo, ND.), there is really nothing (no disrespect to Thunder Bay, Sudbury, or Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario intended) until one hits Toronto, which is basically a two day drive – on mostly two lane highway-  away. Thus, there is a massive, discrete physical, geographic divide in Canada that the US simply doesn’t have. That is, in the US you can edge your way east to west, hitting a large city every few hours (e.g., NYC to Albany to Buffalo to Cleveland to Detroit to Indy to Chicago to Des Moines to Omaha,  etc.) Canada simply does not have that slow graduation from east to west, as the area north of Lake Superior, known as the Canadian Shield, is sparsely inhabited.
This being said, a nice smaller city – around 100,000 people – is Thunder Bay, right on Lake Superior, and just up the road from Duluth, MN. Sault Ste Marie, is also nice, if you like the terrain of northern Michigan, but skip industrial Sudbury, home of what was the world’s largest smokestack, whose plume scientists could supposedly trace all the way to Europe in the 1980s. These towns are cold – where temperatures can easily reach below –40 F and more (minus 40 C is approximately the same in Fahrenheit, by way of reference). And please note this well: when I refer to temperatures, I am not including wind chill, which routinely results in all kinds of fantastic numbers being bandied about. The prairie provinces are simply cold in the winter, end of story. If you are considering these provinces, you must factor this into your equations.  I will not be examining the northern parts of any of these three provinces – as these areas are remote, difficult to get to, and even colder than the already cold southern sections.

Let’s begin with Alberta – another province where I have lived – which is Canada’s most conservative province. Think Texas, with Mounties (actually, the main training base for the RCMP is in next door Saskatchewan).  By some accounts, Alberta has as much oil in its tar sands as Saudi Arabia, so the analogy to Texas is apt. And there is also a tiny separatist streak with Alberta, as well. When I lived in Alberta in the 1980s, there was a separatist Member of Parliament (in the Western Canada Concept Party), while today there is the Wild Rose Party (details at http://www.wildrose.ca/ ) – less strident than the old WCC party, but still with a strong western independent streak.  What this means for you practically is that you will find more of a typical western “can-do, self-reliant attitude among Albertans than other locations in Canada. This is a major plus for those seeking to avoid the obvious ramifications of the implosion of the nanny state.
Economic freedom is also big in Alberta. The Daily Caller, citing a study by the Fraser Institute, The Economic Freedom of North America 2012, found at www.economicfreedom.org/2012/11/28/economic-freedom-of-north-america-2012/  noted that “Canadian provinces now lead US states in average economic freedom, with the provincial average at 6.8 compared to 6.7 out of 10 for US states,” with Alberta the most economically free state or province in North America (followed by Delaware, Saskatchewan, Texas and then Nevada.  Issues examined in this report included size of government, discriminatory taxation, labour market freedom, regulation of credit, regulation of business, the legal system and property rights. Interestingly, this same study concludes the eastern province of Prince Edward Island is the least free in North America. (Note: this article indicates the U.S. states with the highest levels of freedom include Wyoming, Texas, Nevada, Colorado, South Dakota, Illinois, Nebraska and Utah).

Alberta, the Wild Rose Province, is heavily reliant on oil – particularly the oil sands. Where will oil be in five years? Is Hubbert’s peak oil theory correct? Or has fracking (think the Bakken oil field, as one example) and other technologies made that theory irrelevant? Will the boom in natural gas somehow replace oil in cars (recall that Honda already manufactures a CNG vehicle in its Wisconsin plant)? If fracking changes gas and/or oil production, will the impact be near term, or not visible until further out on the time line? What about political shenanigans, such as Obama cancelling the XL oil pipeline from Alberta – how will political decisions factor in? Or will this oil not coming to the US now simply find a “home” in China? The key issue here is that energy is almost always politicized (think Hugo Chavez, Argentina recently nationalizing Spanish oil giant Repsol, or pick your favourite Arab oil corruptocrat du jour). And the reason I bring this up is that I lived in Alberta in the mid-1980s, during the oil bust period. When I moved from the province in the 1980s there were literally no U-Haul trailers available, so many people were leaving, and police were stopping many vehicles crossing the Manitoba/Ontario border with western license plates, looking for old, outstanding traffic tickets and the like. Even though I was doing the speed limit, car was stopped three times just across the border. On the US side of the border, people in Texas can tell similar stories. An economy predicated on resources is not a pretty place to be when the boom goes bust.
So… this is the upshot: While the western economies are much more diversified than 25 years ago, they are still heavy on natural resources. British Columbia has lumber, Alberta oil and gas, Saskatchewan has potash, one of the richest uranium deposits in the world, and – along with neighbouring Manitoba – lots and lots and lots of farmland. Be aware that these resources are significant parts of their provincial economies.
But, lets return to Alberta. Where, exactly, are the oil sands? See below:

You will probably not live in this area, so I will not examine Fort McMurray, the regional centre for Alberta’s oil sands (also, it is extremely expensive there). And as you consider Alberta’s economic stability, you must reflect on this: what is the break-even point for tar sand oil production costs vs. a barrel of oil? As of 2012, the price to produce a barrel from the tar sands is estimated at $50 to $70. So, if you are considering a move to this province, you will most likely want to examine the tar sand “equation.” Here are some links on the topic to help start your deliberations:
Canada’s National Energy Board: http://www.neb.gc.ca/clf-nsi/rnrgynfmtn/nrgyrprt/lsnd/pprtntsndchllngs20152006/qapprtntsndchllngs20152006-eng.html
The Economist: http://www.economist.com/node/17959688
RTCC: http://www.rtcc.org/why-should-you-care-about-canadas-tar-sands/
Of course, simply googling “average cost per barrel of Alberta tar sands” will lead you to a wealth of information to continue your research.   Many of you have just lived through the housing bust, so you don’t want to go from the frying pan to the fire – if it turns out that way.
The above being noted, let’s examine some suggested regions and towns for the person relocating. First, consider of your assumptions: If one thinks there will be a more “soft” depression, perhaps hallmarked by inflation, then banking on oil – a hard commodity – may be a good bet, if the depression does not take oil demand down. You will also be in a province that serioiusly respects free enterprise, self-reliance and is not generally socialist. However, in a “zombie apocalypse” scenario  – e.g, an EMP or solar flare taking out the power grid… or perhaps there really are killer tomatoes of some variety waiting to take us out  (and if so, maybe you could give Monsanto a call, as they may want to patent those suckers) -  the winters will be cold and dark. The upside of cold winters, as noted elsewhere, is that there are generally no street riots at -40 C!

Assuming a “soft” depression scenario, one extremely fertile agricultural area is the Peace River region, west-northwest of Edmonton approximately four hours. Unfortunately, the growing season is short; however, if you can accommodate to the cold temperatures, the region is large enough to have reasonable health, education and cultural facilities in the region’s hub, Grande Prairie. The land itself is exceptionally fertile. Edmonton is the province’s capitol, and Calgary, is three hours south by superhighway, are both around 1 million people. Currently, housing prices are high, due to the oil boom. In my opinion, there is downside risk as of Dec., 2012, and I personally would not buy. The Canadian website The Poog just did a December review on Canadian housing prices, at http://thepoog.com/?p=4153 so this is worth reviewing for an up-to-date report.
Cities of the size of Calgary and Edmonton do have some crime, bad areas, etc., but are not megalopolises. Risk in these two cities would be muted, but not non-existent, in the “soft” or “hard” scenarios I have outlined. Calgary is much dryer than Edmonton, with less trees. However, it is much closer to the Rockies, a major plus. Note that Calgary get chinook winds, meaning winters can have warm days.

For both the hard to soft depression types, I am going to suggest some other options: Red Deer, Bragg Creek, or regions outside of Calgary. Let’s examine each, in turn:
Bragg Creek, which is west of Calgary, and east of the towns of Banff and Canmore, is unique in that it abuts the famous Banff (Rocky Mountain) National Park immediately to the west, and has all aboriginal (Sarcee) land to the east, until one hits the Calgary area. What this means to you is that it is basically open land all directions from this little town. About 50 kilometres west of Calgary, one can access the city on a superhighway, yet one is not in or near the city, as the Sarcee land between Bragg Creek and Calgary is not developed.  In a more serious meltdown situation, one would be insulated to some degree from urban masses, but while one awaits that day of apocalypse, Calgary is still a reasonable commute. You are also right in the foothills at the start of the Canadian Rockies.  Redwood Meadows is a similar small town nearby, but the land here is leased to the Indians – you would not own it. While expensive, Bragg Creek would be my most highly recommended site to relocate in Alberta, under either “a soft” or “hard” downturn scenarios.

Other locales outside of Calgary that might warrant your consideration is the area that includes small towns such as Turner Valley, Priddis or Black Diamond south of the city an hour or so.  Advantages of this region are similar to Bragg Creek, but this area is dryer and slightly less scenic.
Similarly, running an hour’s drive north from Calgary, there are a number of towns that have a strong agricultural base – Airdrie, Carstairs, Olds, or any of the small towns around them – yet access to the advantages of Calgary. Red Deer, population 100,000, is a small city in its own right, and – while too far to commute to the large cities of Edmonton or Calgary – would be worth consideration. And for those looking to live while at the same time keeping one eye out for the collapse, the David Thompson Highway will put you into the Rockies at Saskatchewan Crossing.
The next province east from Alberta is Saskatchewan. As noted above, Saskatchewan also is strongly into economic liberty. There are two primary cities here, Regina, the capitol, and Saskatoon, several hundred kilometres to the northwest. Along with eastern Alberta, farming and rich agricultural land is everywhere. Potash, uranium are also bringing in boom times for the province (Saskatchewan also has some tar sands, which are as of yet mostly unexploited).  But most westerners have an almost genetic predisposition to be wary of boom times based on natural resources, for it would not be the first boom followed by bust – and you, as a relocator, may wish to pay heed to the native wisdom gathered over the years! Housing has gone from dirt cheap to expensive in the cities. Have housing prices reached a zenith in Alberta and Saskatchewan? In my opinion, they probably have, so be wary in that regard.
Regina and Saskatoon are both around the 200,000 population mark, have universities, and are large enough to have reasonable cultural attractions, shopping and the like. Caveat, however: these towns are cold, flat and windy in the winter. And I mean cold by Canadian standards. On the other hand, there are advantages: cold keeps out the “riff-raff,” and there is more economic opportunity, as many simply refuse to go where it is cold. And one other point: given the obvious “hayseed” sensitivities, these cities make an extra effort to have cultural activities. This is the very reason the world renowned Royal Winnipeg Ballet is based in the province next door, Manitoba.
And if the aforementioned Kerguelen Islands are not an option for you (and I’ll bet you still haven’t found them on a map without google, have you!), there are any number of small towns dotted across the prairies where the topsoil is rich, rural land affordable, and population density low. And rumours persist to this day that when the heat was on, Al Capone would retreat to Moose Jaw until the coast was clear.
Worried about social unrest? The RCMP training location is in Regina. How does a house a few blocks away from that campus sound?

Your author above…. being escorted off to an Arctic gulag to do 10 – 20 hard time breaking ice chunks for mixing metaphors while blogging.
In sum, for one concerned about a serious apocalypse, there are many small, out of the way locations in Saskatchewan that – if you can adapt to the cold – would provide an affordable redoubt with fertile land. In a situation of continued “mere” Obama-inspired economic malaise with no Armageddon,  the larger cities of Regina and Saskatoon offer acceptable cultural attractions, good universities, and enough another amenities to make it livable. Both have regularly scheduled air service, albeit a bit more expensive with no daily direct flights to Paris or Maui. Nor will you find Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga or Kim Kardashian hanging out in a local eatery. On the other hand, you will find many of the amenities of large cities, without the cost of crime, pollution and long commutes. Because people are not flocking to the Canadian prairies due to the cold, if you can adapt, you could prosper here. And remember  one thing about the cold – there is no poor weather, only poor clothing!
The final western province to be examined is Manitoba. And let’s get the tough stuff out of the way first. Yes, it, too, is cold in the winter Similar to Saskatchewan, the land is very fertile in the south (the north will not be examined in this article – again, you will probably not live there), and immediately to the north of Winnipeg are a number of large lakes. Winnipeg is approximately 700,000 in population, and has many of the same attractions that Regina would have – several universities, shopping, cultural attractions (including the Royal Winnipeg Ballet being based there).  And – just by the by – if you have ever wanted to go polar bear watching, Churchill, Manitoba – on Hudson Bay – is the possibly the premier destination for doing so.


Manitoba has not seem the same degree resource boom of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and thus one would find better housing value.  Immediately west of Winnipeg are the towns of Portage la Prairie and Brandon – communities that might have your name on them, if you are looking for that type of environment. Note that Manitoba does not show up as high as Alberta or Saskatchewan on the economic freedom side of the equation; on the other hand, this province has not seen the boom of the other two, and housing increases are more muted.

I am intentionally leaving out Yukon, a western territory, as well as the two Arctic territories, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, simply because you are not going to live there.  Suffice to say that Whitehorse and Yellowknife, the capitals of each territory, respectively, have a somewhat young-ish population of around 20,000 each. In any type of economic or societal meltdown, these areas would be isolated and extremely difficult to live in.  Even the Inuit (do not call them Eskimos!), who were more adapted to the Arctic than you will ever be, were always at the margins in terms of their culture surviving.

So, there you have it. In summary, Manitoba has less economic freedom, but also less of a housing boom. As with the other two provinces, fertile land abounds, and it is less dry – similar to the U.S. – as one goes east from the Rockies. Saskatchewan has several significant resources, economic freedom, and is a province that – due to the cold climate – does not attract the “easy living” types. Finally, Alberta has a strong sense of economic freedom, and the magnificent Rockies. The downside is high house prices and an economy that could have risk related to the oil sands.
In the next installment, we’ll move east to Ontario, then finish off with the Maritimes (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland).

10 Great Survival Christmas Gifts

So its that season again and you always end up wondering what to get. It also happens to be the right time to give that present that may happen to plant that seed that one day could sprout into a full survival mindset! I'm breaking it down into $100, $50 and $25 price range (give or take) 

1)Casio Men's Pathfinder Triple Sensor Multi-FunctionSport Watch  $155

 

 

This is a great gift for a like-minded person that appreciates functionality, generally favored by military, LE and outdoors enthusiasts. At 155 bucks these aren’t exactly cheap but this Casio Pathfinder has altimeter, sunrise/sunset, barometer, thermometer and compass besides the typical functions found in the watches. It’s also solar, so you forget about batteries and the waterproofing problems that always follow opening the case for battery replacement. 

I have one that is somewhat similar, the CasioProtrek PRW2500T-7  but being made of titanium and having a few more funtions makes it twice as expensive. On the bright side the resin and rubber wristband models are lighter.

2)Surefire P2X Fury Dual Output LED $ 109.89

 

One of the latest LED lights by Surefire, the dual mode puts out real 500 lumens and 15 lumens on low mode. There are a bunch of excellent flashlight manufacturers, but there's a reason why the military sticks to Surefire. 

3)Leatherman Wave $62.47

 

Excellent blade, saw, file and pliers among other tools. The blades can be opened single handed and lock into place, like all other tools included. A handy clip means you can just clip it you your jeans pocket on the way out and be set in terms of knife/tool needs for everyday tasks. I’ve written about these tools for years and they are still the undisputed king of multi-tools. There’s a reason why the Wave is Leatherman’s best-selling multi-tool.

For those that want top notch stuff, The Charge Tti is a bit more expensive but its absolutely worth it with its premium blade steel and comfortable titanium sculptured panels. That's my first choice, and I keep a Wave as backup at home.

4) Leatherman Charge TTI $117.00

 

 5)KA-BAR Full Size US Marine Corp Fighting Knife,Straight $49.99

 

 Seven inches of 1095 Cro-van steel, shaped into a true American icon of a knife. Any guy with warm blood running through his veins would love to have one of these and could use a spare one as well. Its not just a fighting knife, it’s a time proven classic that works for all general purpose applications where a knife is needed. For the average prepper that simply wants a reliable tool this one will serve them well too. Heck, I’d love to get one of these for Christmas myself!

6) Midland XT511 GMRS Two-Way Emergency Crank Radio $49.99

 

This radio isn’t just good for staying informed during emergencies, it could be used to calling for help too which might be an invaluable asset. It has a LED flashlight, alarm and a USB port so as to crank charge your cellphone and other gadgets (that will sure take a while)

7)Casio GW500A-1V G-Shock Atomic Solar Watch $59.51

 

It’s a G-Shock, so whatever kills the watch will probably kill you as well. Its solar, so you don’t need batteries. Ive had solar watches for decades and they do work. Its atomic, so its always on time, with ridiculous precision. Short of an EMP blast, this G-Shock will outlive you. If its an EMP blast that worries you, then you want a Seiko Black Monster. While costing around 200 bucks, I happen to own this watch and the Monster is worth every penny.

8) Spyderco Resilience Black G-10 $40.67

 

I’ve owned several of these and I believe them to still be the best value today in terms of folders, an outstanding knife for the money. Ive lost one to a police officer and another one to a fellow shooter, both of them good friends that clearly needed them more than I did and are probably putting them to good use right now. Great gift.

The Spyderco Tenacious is similar, slightly smaller and cheaper, still a great knife for $33.90

9)The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the EconomicCollapse $24.95

 

Of course, shameless self-promotion! In my defense, ever since I published it though, not a week goes by without several people emailing me, thanking me for writing it. In many cases, its people that weren’t into survival and preparedness and my book set them on the right track. From die-hard survivalists that needed a more realistic approach to teens and soccer moms, it just feels great to be told you’ve positively influenced someone’s life

10)Leathermam Micra $21.61

 

These are great for “converting” people. Being so small, they don’t think much about keeping one on their keychain. A couple weeks later they start wondering how they got by without it.

Tight Budget? Here’s some bonus sub $10 gifts suggestions anyone would love to get:

SABRE RED Compact Pepper Spray $7.50

 

Nothing says I love you like a pink can of pepper spray! :-) Show the ladies in your family you care about them too by giving these this Christmas.  Really, they think its cute and end up carrying it, which is always a good thing.

Gerber Artifact Pocket Keychain Tool $8.47

 

Very popular and practical keychain tool.

Streamlight  Nano Light Miniature Keychain LEDFlashlight $6.24
 

As with the Gerber Artifact and the Leatherman Micra, its only after having it in their keychain for a few weeks that people start wondering how they got around without it before.

FerFAL